


The Best Worst Decision She's Ever Made

by Bobafettfrommandalore



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Jock!Korra, Nerd!Asami, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-21 23:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7408951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bobafettfrommandalore/pseuds/Bobafettfrommandalore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asami decides to attend her Highschool's 10th-year Reunion and quickly figures it's the worst decision she's ever made. But not really.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Worst Decision She's Ever Made

**Author's Note:**

> inspired to write 'coz Golari and Leriana comes up with such awesome stuff.
> 
> slight trigger warning for bullying

_This is the worst decision I’ve ever made_.

Asami adjusted her dress nervously. She didn’t know what possessed her to agree to this anyway. Reunions. She scoffed. She didn’t need to be here. Since she graduated highschool, she never looked back. Good riddance.

But she kinda donated the new Computer Lab Wing and its grand opening is to be announced that very night. So she was supposed to be there.

She could’ve skipped the event. But. If she was being honest with herself, there was actually one valid reason she came tonight. She needed a question answered. That is, if the person who could answer her question attended the reunion. It was a small hope. But she wished fervently for it.

She took a deep breath and prayed to god this trip was worth it. Steeling herself, she entered the premises.

 

* * *

 

Asami Sato was never a popular kid. Daughter of a disgraced businessman, she bore the inevitable brunt of the backlash when her father was caught selling weapons to terrorists. They called her traitor, the meaner ones just called her worse. She didn’t care, she didn’t have anything to do with what her father had done. That didn’t stop it from hurting any less though.

But she got through it. She spent most of her time alone, tinkering with computers. And she was again picked on for it. Nothing was her fault but that didn’t matter. She always became a target. But what could she do? Anything she did gained negative attention. So she learned to avoid her peers.

It helped that she was an introvert. She spent her time beyond the classroom, at the computer lab. Or her dorm room. She spent the least amount of time with her fellow students.

The only time she was content was when she was fiddling with her programs and algorithms. With codes, she didn’t have to pretend. She didn’t have to make an effort to belong.

Let those other kids be concerned with popularity. Let those mean girls fool around with their boys. It usually never amounted to anything anyway. It was a proven fact. And she had statistics to back it up. She was going to be fine on her own.

It was a blessing in disguise actually. As soon as she got into college, her love for computers really paid off.

And now, she was a self-made billionaire, richer than even her father was. Asami Sato, app developer turned internet mogul. She had everything she ever wanted. Which brought her back to her current dilemma. _Why'd she come back here again_?

“Asami! Asami Sato!” an excited voice called out to her.

She hasn’t even turned around fully when she was engulfed in warm, muscular arms. She couldn’t see who the hugger was, since all she could do was struggle to breathe from the tight hold.

When she was finally released, she was greeted by the overly-enthusiastic face of a former computer club member. One of her few close friends, Bolin.

“Bolin!!! It's so nice to see you!” she exclaimed, genuine warmth in her smile since she entered the venue. “How are you?”

“Oh, I'm married now! My wife, Opal, she's here somewhere. I just went and got us some more wine. How ‘bout you? You're looking good!” Bolin gushed.

“Thanks Bo, you're looking good as well, I saw the last Nuktuk movie, it was…funny!” Asami laughed.

“Thanks Asami! Are you here with someone?” he peered behind her, trying to see if she came with anybody.

Asami blushed and answered with “Uhhm no, I came on my own.”

“Oh, that's cool too. Single and ready to mingle, huh?” the bulky man said, waggling his eyebrows at Asami.

Asami just laughed awkwardly.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to my wife” Bolin said, pulling Asami towards the throng.

 

* * *

 

Spending the Reunion with Bolin and Opal had been somewhat pleasant. People came by their group to make small talk, surprisingly, even the ones who tormented her in highschool. Seems a ton of money and fame made a lot of difference.

She saw the popular girls who were mean to her before. Some were married, good looks getting them handsome, rich husbands. Most didn’t fare as well in life, and though they tried not to make it obvious, it was evident in their overly made-up faces and the lines of worry etched in the edges of their mouths.

It was obvious in the way they wore their cheap dresses and knock-off heels. It wouldn’t have been an issue to Asami anyway – she wasn’t the type of person to look down on people who didn’t have money. But most of these people are as vapid now as they used to be. Their concerns as shallow and superficial like they were still kids. It left Asami with a bad taste in her mouth.

So she excused herself as gracefully as she could telling Bolin and Opal she needed to use the restroom and walked past the gaggle of women and former jocks surrounding their group.

Instead of heading to the restroom though, Asami went outside, to the flower gardens surrounding the venue. She ruminated as she walked. She noticed that there were a lucky few who were really genuinely happy and successful, Bolin was amongst them. He deserves it, she thinks to herself. Bolin was one of the truly nice people she allowed herself to interact with without reservations during her tumultuous teenage years. And she was rewarded for it too, with non-judgmental and heartfelt friendship.

Finally, she reached the path in front of the bleachers. And she belatedly realized she was subconsciously heading towards this particular place.

This was where she used to walk everyday to get to the building where the old computer lab was located.

The place where the popular kids used to hang out and give her side glances and call out snarky comments designed to make her feel uncomfortable. It was a daily nightmare.

Ironically though, this one place she especially hated in the school was also the place where one of the most memorable events in her teenage life happened.

She sat down on one of the bleachers, not caring that she was wearing a designer gown at the moment and tried to recall that one wonderful memory that she's always carried with her, even after all these years.

 

* * *

 

_It was her senior year and she couldn't wait to leave. She was two days away from graduating early and leaving, thanks to the scholarship she was awarded at Ba Sing Se University. It entitled her to get her highschool diploma before everyone else, in order to be in time to enroll and attend Ba Sing Se University’s advanced freshmen classes._

_It was the best thing to happen to her in a long time. She was finally leaving this place! She smiled, thinking of how College was going to be so different. She was starting with a clean slate._

_She walked along, with an uncharacteristic bounce in her step while carrying a big box of computer supplies for the computer lab. The fact that she had to do four more trips to her car and back to get the rest of the boxes didn't even dampen her mood one bit._

_She was trying to balance her grip on the bulky box when she felt something trip her. She lost her footing and her grip on the box at the same time, trying to break her fall with her hands._

_As a result, the contents of the box scattered all over the place and she had to bite her tongue to keep from gasping loudly. She didn’t have to look to know that she’s bruised her knees and she’d have to wear pants or tights the next day to cover them._

_Her hands were stinging something painful too and she lifted them up to see abrasions from where her palms hit pavement._

_She heard the raucous laughing then and instantly cursed her former sunny mood for letting her forget where she was passing through._

_She was in front of the bleachers, where the cheerleaders and the jocks and the other popular kids hung out._

_“You should look at where you're going, Sato. You never know when you'll trip over rocks.”_

_Asami scanned the pathway and looked towards the speaker. She gritted her teeth, there were no rocks anywhere. Instead, in front of her was a leering Tahno. Basketball player, resident bully._

_She kept quiet and instead concentrated on standing up. Spirits, her knees hurt._

_“What’s the matter? Think you're too smart for us? No talking to non-nerds, is that it? Or is it just a terrorist policy to not spill your secrets?” Tahno said, taunting her, whilst she heard the hooting and laughing in the background get louder._

_She managed to get up but was still looking down in dismay. Her computer parts were scattered all over the pavement. She would have to get on her knees again to pick them up and she was hesitant to do that since her knees were starting to throw in pain and the laughter was so loud by now, all she wanted to do was run back to her dorm room and never come out again._

 

_That's when she heard it. The quiet voice was raspy, but had an unmistakable tone of authority in it. “Stop being a prick Tahno.”_

_Then she felt a hand on her arm, steadying her. “Hey, are you ok?”_

_Asami looked at the hand trying to assist her and noticed the caramel skin was smooth and warm, where it rested on her arm. She panned her gaze upwards to be met by blue eyes laced with concern._

_It was_ Her _. The Captain of the women's soccer team._

_Korra._

_Asami's brain blanked for a couple of seconds. Why was this girl helping her? She was one of the most popular girls in school, for spirits' sake!_ _She's led their team to countless victories. Everybody liked her. And here she was, talking to a nobody like her. It was so surreal, it left Asami stunned for a few seconds before she was able to answer._

_Asami caught herself staring and hoped to God Korra didn’t notice it. “I’m f…fine. I just need to get these” she gestured to the parts scattered all over the pavement “to the computer lab. I just… give me a minute.” She raised her skirt a bit to check the damage and scowled at how her knees were bleeding a bit (like it was her knees' fault they got scratched and bruised in the first place)._

_She glanced at Korra and noticed the Soccer player Iooking at her knees with an unreadable expression before glancing at the box's contents scattered all over the place. To Asami’s surprise, the Athlete immediately went down on all fours picking the pieces up “It’s ok. You don't need to do anything, just, just stand there okay? I got this.”_

_“Korra, what the hell are you doing helping this terrorist?” Tahno asked, lip curled in distaste._

_“I swear Tahno, if you don’t shut up and go away right now, I’m going to kick you where it hurts the most, you won’t feel your balls until you’re forty.”_

_Asami couldn’t suppress an unbelieving gasp escape her lips._

_And even though Korra was still crouched on the pavement clutching various computer parts, she said the statement with so much menace, so much certainty, that Tahno actually paled and took what Asami would always recall fondly, a very hasty, very inelegant retreat. And he tripped over his feet doing it too. It was a testament to Korra’s clout in school that nobody came to Tahno's aid. The snickers around them even stopped abruptly._

_Asami had to stifle a smile at Tahno losing his poise like that, considering he’s the school's self-proclaimed “King of Cool”._

_“Here, all done” she heard a throat clear beside her._

_“Thanks” Asami said, looking at Korra who was carrying her box. She held out her hands to get back her load when she heard Korra gasp. “Your hands!”_

_Asami looked at her injured hands and back to Korra whose eyes were brimming with concern. She couldn’t help but wonder if the girl helping her was for real. No one's ever come to her rescue like that, certainly no one from the group of people who usually tormented her._

_Granted, Korra was never with the group when she was picked upon, but still. “It’s fine. I can get these seen to once I finish in the computer lab” she said, not deigning to mention that what she meant by “seen to” was herself dabbing any sort of antiseptic on her gashes._

_Asami made to take the bulky box away from the athlete but was surprised when the box was moved away from her. “You can't, not with that” Korra eyed her scratched hands. “So, where are we off to? I’m Korra, by the way.”_

_The Athlete was already walking before it registered in Asami's mind that the most popular girl in school was carrying her box of computer parts because she was injured. This had to have a catch, Asami thought, naturally suspicious of a popular kid's intentions._

_She still wasn’t moving when the girl in front of her turned around and raised her eyebrow in question “Asami, where to?”_

_Asami’s breath hitched. She knows my name she thought in shock. Why? How?_

_She was so surprised that she couldn't help but blurt out “You know me?”_

_What was more surprising though was that Korra's dusky cheeks turned darker. Was she blushing?_

_“Oh, we shared a lot of classes since freshman year, you just didn't talk to me. I don’t know what kind of person I would be if I still didn’t know your name after all this time. That would just be plain rude. Unless of course, I'm mentally incapable of remembering things, so then I’m excused. But I’m not so…” at that, Korra seemed to realize that she was babbling, so she cleared her throat and gave her a bashful smile._

_Asami felt a weird, unfamiliar flutter in her chest. Somebody actually cared enough to remember her (and not because of her father's notorious reputation). It was kind of touching._

_“So ummm, where to?” Korra asked, looking awkward carrying her box of stuff._

_“Oh, right. The computer lab” Asami answered, not letting her eyes linger too long on how the sun's light was hitting Korra's skin, making the already attractive athlete look more beautiful in the golden afternoon light._

Where are these thoughts coming from?

_They walked side by side till they reached the lab and Asami had to open the door for Korra. “Just put it down here” she pointed to one of the tables lining the room._

_Korra obediently placed the box on the table. “All right, all done” she said turning to Asami with a lopsided smile._

_“Thank you Korra” Asami said, liking how the other girl's name rolled off her tongue._

_“I just need to patch these up” she said holding up her hands and lifting her skirt a bit to show Korra her bruised knees “then I can go back for the other four boxes” Asami said with a grimace. It looked like she might have to go to the clinic after all._

_She didn’t miss the way Korra's blue eyes clouded in what looked like anger. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. And I’m sorry about Tahno. You don’t deserve it.”_

_Now Asami was really shocked. She didn’t know someone cared enough to apologize. Especially since it wasn’t their fault. She's long since adapted to the constant bullying she deals with on a day to day basis so she just shrugged it off. She even didn’t bat an eyelash about it anymore. But this unusual display of sympathy, almost undid her._

_She turned to the side, hoping Korra didn’t see how her eyes verged on tears. She busied herself looking for a medicine kit._

_“It’s not your fault. And it's ok. I'm used to it. Besides, I’m a couple more days away from graduating so...” she mumbled, dipping a cotton ball into some iodine. She dabbed her injured hand gingerly, still trying to avoid Korra's gaze. She wasn’t prepared for the sting and she let out a pained hiss._

_She felt more than saw the girl move behind her and next thing she knew, gentle hands were taking the cotton ball she held. “Here, let me…”_

_Korra held Asami's hands steady while she swabbed away most of the blood. Asami was feeling really uncomfortable. This, this was all so new, so unfamiliar. She couldn’t stop fidgeting._

_“Hey”. Asami felt a gentle pressure from where Korra was holding her hand. She was forced to lift her gaze to the blue eyes watching her._

_“Stop fidgeting, it's only medicine” Korra stated in a teasing voice._

_Asami let out a relieved sigh internally. Apparently Korra thought she was squeamish. She smiled at the misconception._

_“So, uhhmm how come no one's helping you carry these boxes?” Korra said tentatively, maybe to break the ice._

_“Oh, I usually have the younger kids do these things but I wasn’t busy this afternoon so I figured I could do it.” Asami tried to make her voice nonchalant, instead of pathetic. A senior almost about to graduate and had a free afternoon? She should be out with friends, not hanging around the computer lab like the loser nerd that she was. But Korra seemed to believe her. She nodded and looked to her side, replacing the used cotton ball with a newly soaked one._

_“I need to do your knees too” she said, like it was the most natural thing in the world._

_Asmai wondered how the girl in front of her could be so composed when her own heart was running a marathon in chest._

_“Oh, right.” Asami looked around for a chair she could sit on. She pulled a swivel chair from one of the desks and sat on it, facing Korra. She gingerly raised her skirt to mid-thigh._

_Her knees looked worse from this angle. They were now turning black and blue, speckled with some drying blood and she didn’t realize how much it hurt till she really saw how bruised up they were._

_Korra whistled in dismay. “Ouch.”_

_She busied herself with trying to look for the Hydrogen Peroxide so she could clean the wound before putting on the disinfectant. Asami didn’t fail to notice that there was a tightness to the Athlete's mouth while she was readying the medicine._

_“It's ok, it's just a couple of abrasions and a bit of bruising” Asami didn’t know why she was trying to comfort the other girl when she was the one who was hurt._

_It certainly wasn’t her habit to go out of her way to make sure someone’s comfortable with her, at least not with someone who was practically a stranger. But Korra was… different._

_Korra finally looked at her, her blue eyes simmering with something that looked like anger. Asami caught her breath at the intensity of it._

_“It’s not right for people to hurt other people like that, especially if it's unwarranted. Don’t make it sound like you’re fine even though I can clearly see you’re not.”_

_And even though Asami could hear the barely contained fury in Korra's voice, the hand that dabbed the cotton swab on her knees was surprisingly gentle. Her heart compressed a bit at the obvious concern of the girl in front of her._

_Korra was thorough in her ministrations, like she's done it before._

_Asami decided to comment on that instead of acknowledging what the Athlete just told her. It was a safer topic, it was generic. And it put the unfamiliar feeling of warmth in her chest at the back of her head, at least, for the moment. That, she didn’t want to think about for now._

  _“It looks like you’ve done this before?” she queried, her green eyes studying the girl crouched in front of her._

_“Yeah, my teammates and I get a lot of these in Soccer. The staff taught us basic first aid. So…. yeah.” Korra finished awkwardly._

_“I’ve never been to any of your games” Asami blurted out then immediately regretted it. Korra must think she really sounded like the most uncool person in school. Everyone's been to watch the soccer games (they were really, really big in her county, in fact, Korra's like a minor celebrity in their town). Except her, apparently._

_She tried to think of something that would make her sound less of a nerd and tried to pass it off like she's really not that into sports anyway (quite true, actually) “Yeah. I mean, I’ve never seen the point of sitting down for 2hours and watching some people chasing a muddy ball around to score 16 uhh goals? anyway” she said, deliberately trying to sound nonchalant in order to make her front more believable._

_To her relief, Korra just laughed good-naturedly. “Wow. 16 goals is a lot, actually. The most I’ve been able to do is seven, and that was only because the opposite team's star player was injured.” She chuckled again. “16. Ha. Where’d you even come up with that number?” she teased._

_“I don’t know, it just popped up, as I said, I’m not really into sports” Asami answered back playfully, finally convinced the Athlete was laughing with her and not at her cluelessness._

_Asami tried thinking of something else they could talk about after that (hopefully a topic both could relate to). But since she wasn’t used to making small talk anyway, Asami was hard pressed to come up with one. But to her pleasant realization, she liked the silence between them. She didn’t feel it being oppressive and uncomfortable, not with Korra._

_However, she sincerely hoped Korra felt the same and wouldn’t take the silence the wrong way. It would just be her luck if the first person she spoke to outside of her circle – a very popular, very attractive person at that – thought her an awkward bore._

_Asami was surprised that she was even bothered by that sudden realization. Normally, she didn’t care what people thought of her. But it seemed she's already placed Korra in a different category. She wanted Korra to be interested. In her- as friend, as a person. It was a shame that her nerves are getting the best of her. She was startled when the other girl talked instead._

_“So I heard you got a full ride into BSSU. That's quite a feat.” Korra said, smiling a little._

_Again, Asami was surprised that the other girl knew something about her._

_“Yes. I was lucky to get in, there were a lot of other students vying for that scholarship” she said, hoping she sounded modest and not boastful._

_Korra snorted. “I bet luck didn’t have anything to do with that, you were always so smart in class. You’ve always breezed through the courses while I could barely get passing scores.”_

_“Oh. I didn’t know you were paying attention.” Asami said, a bit of curiosity escaping in her voice. To her, the concept of someone noticing her (besides the usual taunts), or was interested enough to remember something about her was as foreign as say, having lots of friends. Or a good childhood. Or a great dad. Or being the center of attention. It was just so new, so unusual. But what she did know was that the girl currently tending to her wounds was causing a riot in her emotions._

_She didn’t know if she liked it- this kind of attention was new to her. And while her thoughts were running amok in her head, Asami studied Korra’s face while she looked to be intently engrossed in cleaning her knees._

_Gradually though (and Asami wouldn’t even believe it's actually happening, but she WAS looking at the Athlete directly) she noticed Korra getting redder and redder under her scrutiny._

_Was she… blushing?_

_“There, almost good as new” Korra cleared her throat. Asami finally broke her staring long enough to look at her knees. To her amusement, Korra actually placed some gauze on it and managed to get the worst of the stinging to stop._

_“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you knew first aid.” Asami said, grateful that it seemed she didn’t have to go to the nurse._

_Korra just smiled at her, eyes soft and genuine._

_Asami smiled back, this time, with real warmth behind her green eyes. Whatever ever else happened after today, she knows that she will never look at Korra the same way again._

_“So, let's go and grab those other boxes!” Korra said, again surprising Asami from her thoughts._

_“What? Oh, no, you've done enough. I can go back for it on my own.” Asami quickly stood up to assure Korra that she could handle it. Unfortunately, the action caused her knees to smart from the sudden movement and Korra caught her grimace from the stinging pain._

_“Okay, that settles it. Come on, I’m helping you whether you want to or not.” Korra placed her hands on her hips, expression firm, and looking like she was not going to brook any argument._

_Asami let out a little laugh at Korra’s display of determination and while it was unexpected, Asami found that she welcomed the company._

_“Okay. Suit yourself” she said and started walking towards the door._

_“Really? Wow, okay, let's go!” Korra said with perhaps too much enthusiasm._

_“You’re really excited for someone who's about to join me for chores” Asami ventured in a teasing tone._

_Korra looked at her, again what seemed like a blush dusting her cheeks. “I like chores. And uh, lifting things. It's basically working out even without going to the gym.”_

_Asami eyed the girl's biceps, yep, definitely a gym rat. What she wasn’t prepared for was the build up of heat in her chest and the heat spread throughout her body while she was still eyeing her companion’s muscles. She quickly looked away but not before Korra caught her staring. Again, she said nothing (though there was a slight lifting of the corners of her mouth) for which Asami was thankful for._

_They walked companionably back towards where they came from. The bleachers came into view and Asami tensed. She felt a hand settle on her elbow._

_“Wait for me, I’m just gonna be a couple of minutes” Korra jogged ahead and went to the bleachers, talking to some of the younger boys hanging around their group. Tahno was nowhere to be seen._

_By the time Asami reached them, Korra was walking back to her with a couple of guys in tow._

_“Asami, these are Kai and Meelo, they’re gonna help us carry your boxes.”_

_“We are at your service, fair lady with the wonderfully onyx hair!” the one called Meelo said, grinning from ear to ear. The other guy just gave her a simple smile and a wave. Asami was stunned. Korra just went ahead and got some people to help_ her _carry her boxes. And not just some people. Asami recognized the guys as younger members of the football team too._

_All she could do was nod and mumble a “thank you, and nice to meet you”._

_Korra went to stand beside her, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She really did look genuinely excited for chores. Asami couldn’t help but smile a little at her unexpected companion's zest. “Okay, follow me then” she said, leading the way to her car._

 

* * *

 

_“Alright, that's done!” Korra rubbed her hands to dust them off. “Is there anything else you want us to do, Asami?” she asked._

 

_Asami beamed at Korra's group. They only had to do one pass for the four she would have done if she insisted on carrying the boxes on her own. “Nope, that's it. Thanks for helping.”_

_“Okay guys, good job. Thanks. You can go ahead, I’ll catch up.” Even though Korra phrased it politely, Asami thought it sounded like how a Commander would dismiss her troops. The two juniors waved goodbye to her before exiting the computer lab. Asami waved back. She still couldn’t believe that she had three popular kids help her carry heavy boxes into her computer lab. Surreal._

_Korra cleared her throat and Asami noticed she looked a bit nervous. She was rocking on her heels and her hands were stuffed on the pockets of her pants._

_“Is it true that you're leaving the school in a couple of days and that you won’t be marching for graduation even if you’re the valedictorian then?” she asked._

_Asami, was almost used to being surprised by Korra's knowledge about her right now. “Yes, I need to be in Ba Sing Se in time for their early enrollment. I won't be marching, no speech” she said._

_“Oh. Uhmm that's… sad.” Korra said, looking at her shoes and still acting like she was nervous, like she wanted to say something but couldn’t._

_“Sad?” Asami asked, genuinely puzzled._

_“I mean, yeah, leaving is always sad, whatever the cause. In this case, I just think it's sad ‘coz you’re leaving before everyone else. I guess it's lonely.”_

_At this, Korra caught Asami's face go from curious to guarded in a span of seconds._

_“I don't need anyone else to hold my hand so I can go anywhere, thank you very much” Asami huffed, mildly offended but mostly defensive. Korra had hit a nerve she didn’t want to dwell on. She actually had no close friends to stay for, no friends' houses to go to, if ever she did get to march with the rest of them. Well, maybe Bolin, but his brother and her did just have a rather bad breakup after she found out he was cheating on her so that was out of the question._

_Asami didn’t know she was unconsciously hugging herself after turning her back on Korra until she felt a tentative hand touch her arm._

_“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. What I wanted to say was..” Korra paused, not sure how to proceed. “It might be lonely for the ones you leave behind.”_

_“Oh.” Asami immediately felt sorry for going all defensive on the athlete when all she wanted to express was a normal sentiment coming from what a kid with a normal upbringing would say._

_But Asami didn’t have a normal upbringing. So she looked at Korra and smiled sadly. “There’s nobody, really.”_

_Korra looked at the floor then. Her shoe tracing a pattern on the marble. “Maybe you just don't know about it, but I’m pretty sure there's someone…” she paused, awkward and seemingly about to say more._

_Asami waited patiently but it looked like Korra was getting more awkward by the minute and having some difficulty voicing out what she wanted to say. Just then, the athlete cleared her throat, starting anew._

_“So anyway, uhm. I know you're wondering all this time. We’ve known each other for years and all but never talked and I'm suddenly talking to you. Well, uhm, I just heard about you leaving early this morning…” the athlete started, taking her eyes away from the floor and looking at her wringing hands instead. “So I actually wanted to ask if..”_

_Just then, there was a loud bang as the door to the computer lab was thrown open and Kuvira, the soccer team co-captain swaggered in, followed by a guilty-looking Kai and Meelo._

_Korra and Asami jumped back from each other, looking as if they were caught doing something they shouldn’t have been doing._

_“Kuvira? What are you doing here?” Korra finally got out._

_Kuvira threw a scrutinizing glance at Asami and raised an eyebrow._

_Then she turned back to Korra as if deeming she wasn’t someone worth even a greeting._

_“Coach is looking for you. I tried calling your phone but I couldn’t reach you.”_

_At this, Korra pulled out a phone from her pocket “Battery’s dead” she shrugged._

_“Well, Coach wants us on the field like, an hour ago.” Kuvira was still talking to Korra as if there was no one else there with them._

_“Well, I’ll be on the field in fifteen minutes” Korra said with a defiant tilt to her chin._

_“The rest of the team is gonna be running suicides until you get there. And they've started 45minutes ago. They must be close to dying right about now.”_

_“Fuck” Korra huffed. She looked to Asami, then to Kuvira._

_“Fuck.”_

_At this, Kuvira turned around and marched out, followed by two boys, a triumphant smirk on her face._

_Korra looked to Asami again, then at Kuvira's retreating back. Asami thought she could see regret in her eyes._

_She waited until Kuvira was out of earshot until she moved towards Asami._

_Korra covered the distance between them and suddenly Asami felt like the room temperature suddenly spiked up._

_Korra spoke up hurriedly, she seemed to have lost the bashfulness she had a while ago in her haste._

_“I really had a nice time with you, Asami. And I regret I haven’t gotten to know you sooner. But I wanted to tell you, before you left…”_

_Then to Asami's utter disbelief, Korra tiptoed a bit (Asami was taller by an inch) and… kissed her. It was hurried and the athlete's lips were a bit chapped but the kiss was soft and sweet and… wonderful. And… over before she realized what was happening._

_It took Asami a full 10 seconds to process everything that happened (and it never usually took her that long to process anything) but before her mind could properly form a coherent thought, Korra had already jogged out from the computer lab._

_She touched her lips, trying to feel where the other girl's had left their mark and she wondered if she imagined the whole thing._

_But no, she can still smell Korra's faint cologne (smelling of fresh pine) lingering in the air._

_Wait a minute. Hold up._

_Korra kissed her._ Korra just kissed her. _On the lips. Asami's eyes were big as she wondered about what happened. The most popular kid in school freaking kissed her!!! And she just stood there like a dumbstruck idiot!_

_Asami turned towards the door as fast as she can, ignoring the sting on her knees as she tried to catch up with the wonderful girl she just met._

_But the hallway was empty. Korra was gone._

_Asami stopped and touched her lips again. It was the first time in her young, teenage life that she ever felt regret at prospect of leaving highschool. And it was all because of spending one unexpected, wonderful afternoon with the most popular girl in school._

 

* * *

 

Asami noticed it was getting cold. She stood up and swept the area with her gaze. It was late, she guessed anyone who would’ve attended the reunion would’ve been there by now. And judging from the people who were at the gathering a while back, it seemed the person she really wanted to see didn’t attend.

She tried to tamp down on a considerable tightening on her chest. Korra was the only reason she came back to this cursed place.

Swallowing her disappointment she stepped down from her perch. She didn’t see the loose stone in front of her though and before she knew it, she was kneeling on the walkway, designer dress and all, robbed of poise and dignity.

 _Great. Just great_.

The first thing that came to her mind was that it was just so ironic this would happen to her again, and at the same place too.

The only thing missing now was a certain athlete's hand on her arm, guiding her up. She felt like crying.

She was about to stand up (ughhh her knees felt bruised, _again_ ) when a hand held her arm and helped her stand up.

“We have to stop meeting like this, you know.”

Asami whipped her head up so fast, and her mouth dropped open when her eyes were met by the familiar blue of Korra's.

The Athlete was wearing a blue button down with a thin white necktie, black skinny jeans and Oxfords. Her shirt was tight and it accentuated the bulging biceps underneath the thin layer of cloth.

And like before, it took Asami like, ten seconds to reboot her brain – her genius, internationally-celebrated brain has stopped working all because of a certain professional soccer player.

“Asami?” Korra asked, a smile tugging on her lips.

 _Answer. She needed to answer the question. With words_.

“You’re here. I thought perhaps, you weren’t coming” she finally managed to blurt out.

Korra let out a hearty laugh that actually sent Asami's stomach fluttering with a hundred thousand butterflies.

“And miss out on the buffet and free drinks? No way!”

The joke seemed to calm Asami in her flustered state and she finally took the time to get herself in order with a couple of deep (hopefully inconspicuous) breaths.

However, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from smiling.

Korra grinned back, her smile lopsided “Are you happy to see me or are you just glad you have someone to see to your wounds again?”

Asami's smile got wider “Both, I guess.”

And she couldn’t stop herself or even play it cool (she reckoned she was never cool to start with, anyway) and threw herself into the athlete’s arms for a hug.

“It's so nice to see you!” she murmured into Korra's neck. She didn’t want to seem creepy but she just couldn’t stop from discreetly taking a deep breath of the other woman's familiar pine scented cologne (her favorite smell for years now).

Korra was startled from Asami's overly enthusiastic greeting but settled into the hug after a split-second.

“It's great to see you too!” she murmured into Asami's hair.

Asami couldn’t help but think that this was one of the best hugs she's ever gotten. She wanted it to last a bit longer but unfortunately, her highschool shyness chose to rear its ugly head and caught up to her so she hesitantly tried to pull away. To her surprise, Korra held on to her waist, seemingly reluctant to let her go.

Asami suddenly felt her cheeks heat up, especially since she could feel the other girl's muscles flexing from where her hands were resting on Korra’s arms.

“Im glad you came,” she whispered, still smiling (she couldn’t stop smiling, oh gosh).

Korra looked at her then, and Asami noticed that she too was still wearing her goofy, lopsided grin.

“Well, I had some unfinished business that I wanted to see to.”

“Oh, what's that?” Asami answered coyly (being wrapped in the Athlete's arms reminded her that she did, in fact, have a spine and it made her braver, somewhat).

“Well, there was this girl I really liked in high school that I never had the guts to talk to – you know, I was just some stupid jock while she was smart, beautiful and kind. And it was too late by the time I did take action. And I regretted not spending all that time with her in the same school, everyday of my life. I promised myself that I would never make that mistake again, if I did see her,” Korra said seriously, smile finally replaced by an earnest, open expression.

Asami's breath caught, hope flaring in her heart. “You know, I think I know that girl you’re talking about. But why didn’t you try to contact her throughout these years?”

“Oh…” Korra looked away, for the first time, looking unsure. “The girl's got a boyfriend you see, I see their pictures everywhere on the tabloids, on tv… so, you know.. uhhmm… I figured, she might not be interested, I mean, if she was, _she_ could've contacted me if she really wanted to.”

It was a miracle Asami was able to stand calmly at that moment, because all she wanted to do was leap into the air and shout like mad ‘coz it felt like she just won the biggest prize in the lottery.

She couldn’t resist teasing her longtime crush though.

“Well, she wanted to… but you know.. she always saw you with a different model on your arm everytime she saw any type of entertainment news, so..” she trailed off, a hint of an unspoken question in her statement.

“Yeah, about that.” Korra said sheepishly, one of her arms going to the back of her neck. “They’re just friends. Nothing more. Not like a certain someone's boyfriend,” she said pointedly to Asami.

Asami bit her lip to keep her smile from getting bigger. “Well I heard the girl broke up with the boyfriend ‘coz she realized she liked someone else. And that someone was from her old Highschool, if you can believe it”.

She saw Korra's eyes go round with the confession.

“Really?”

“Yep..” Asami said, at the same time, her trailing her hands up the athlete’s arms so she could put them around her neck.

She let out a small yelp when she was pulled flush into Korra. The Athlete chuckling at her surprise. Their faces were close and Asami could pinpoint the exact second that Korra decided to kiss her.

Time seemed to freeze and Asami got a whiff of the familiar pine-scent cologne before her lips were met with the same ones she's been dreaming of for the past 10 years.

It started out slow and soft but quickly turned into a heated, exploration of tongues and hands.

They could’ve gone on forever if they didn’t need air but they finally had to break for a couple of deep breaths, both gasping and smiling at each other.

“Want to get out of here?” Korra asked, her hands still making their explorations on her back.

“What about the reunion, aren’t you going in?” Asami asked, flushed from the proximity and the kiss. She traced Korra's jaw with a finger.

As Korra leaned into her hand, she whispered “I only came here to see you.”

Asami closed her eyes and took it all in, finally, her question has been answered. Korra really did want her. ☺ It was surreal but real. And it took 10 years in the making (more for Korra, if she could believe it).

She broke their embrace but took the other girl's hand, lacing their fingers together.

“Come on, we've got a lot of time to make up for,” she chuckled, her smile reaching from ear to ear.

To her surprise Korra tugged her so she fell, only to be caught by the other girl's arms in a bridal carry.

“Not until you’ve had those knees seen to, Ms.Clumsy.”

“Okay,” Asami chuckled as she leaned into her longtime-love's neck and thinking for the first time that coming back to her dreaded highschool was one of the best worst decisions she's ever made.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know what I'm doing. i just wanted to write.


End file.
